Australia is known as a bustling biotechnology hub. The country invests heavily in its life sciences sector, funding innovations in medical technology, agriculture, therapeutics, vaccines and more. Whether it’s pharmaceutical drug development, genetically engineering produce or building environmentally friendly industrial processes, many companies are exploring biotech’s various applications. Read on to learn about some of the biotech innovators with operations in Melbourne.
Top Biotech Companies in Melbourne
- Aravax
- Atmo Biosciences
- PolyActiva
- Nutromics
- Natural Medtech
Top Biotech Companies in Melbourne
Aravax is developing an immunotherapeutic solution for the common peanut allergy. The company’s PVX108 product works to target the underlying cause of disease and allergies. Aravax’s technology aims to reset a person’s immune system to tolerate allergens. The company has begun Phase 2 trials of its products in children and adolescents with peanut allergies.
Atmo Bioscience’s ingestible gas capsule product works to provide insights into a person’s gut health and microbiome function by measuring gasses at the source. It works to enable more accurate diagnoses and gastrointestinal disorder treatments. The capsule electronically transmits data that can be uploaded to the cloud for aggregation, analysis and patient reporting.
Natural Medtech develops psychedelic medicines designed to stimulate neuro-regeneration and neurodevelopment. The company prioritizes developing bioproduction pathways for low-cost psychedelic manufacturing. Its intellectual properties highlight pathways to multiple psychedelic tryptamine derivatives.
PolyActiva is a biotech research company working to enable controlled drug delivery to the eye. The company specializes in ophthalmic medicine, aiming to provide biodegradable implants with sustained drug delivery for diseases like glaucoma. Its clinical-stage solution is meant to help improve patient outcomes and their quality of life.
Amgen, a global company, develops drugs to treat a variety of illnesses, including cardiovascular and neurological disorders, bone diseases, inflammation and cancer. The company uses living cells to make its therapies, which are known as biologics. Amgen, which stands for Applied Molecular Genetics, is based in Thousand Oaks, California, and has an office in Melbourne. Amgen Australia is based in Sydney and has an office in Melbourne.
Moderna develops and markets medicines based on mRNA, or messenger RNA. Among the products it makes and/or is developing are vaccines for influenza, RSV, hMPV, and Covid-19 (it was one of the first companies to develop a Covid-19 vaccine). Moderna is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has an office in Melbourne.
Agilent Technologies makes software, products and provides services for laboratories and other entities in the biotech field. The company says its products help with diagnostics, research, and keeping food, drugs and water safe. Agilent, based in Santa Clara, California, was spun off from Hewlett-Packard in 1999. It has an office in Melbourne.
Qiagen makes sample and assay technologies for researchers working in academia as well as diagnostic, clinical and pharmaceutical settings. Qiagen’s genomic services include sequencing for RNA and DNA; it also offers microbiome profiling. Qiagen customers are in the life sciences, human healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. The company says it has 500,000 customers around the world.
CSL is a global biotech company that develops vaccines and medicines for an array of ailments. It’s organized into three divisions: CSL Behring, which develops therapies for rare and serious ailments; CSL Seqirus, which focuses on public health issues; and CSL Vifor, which has expertise in therapies that deal with iron deficiencies, anemia and kidney disease. The company is headquartered in Melbourne.
Nutromics is a medical equipment manufacturer working to save lives through continuous diagnostic monitoring. It developed a wearable patch equipped with microneedles coated with DNA-based sensors. The company’s technology platform senses various proteins, drugs, metabolites and hormones to track several targets in real time and give clinicians personalized insights.
